Presented by Mark Kessler at the Arizona Assessment Summit. This session introduces a processes to assist educators in building data literacy district-wide. Aligning the use of current school and district assessments and understanding the interrelationships of assessment, curriculum, and instruction are emphasized. Participants collaborate in establishing priorities for assessment practices and appropriate use of resulting data.

1. Assessment
Program Alignment
Making Essential Connections Between
Assessments and Student Learning

2. Using the Right Tool
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3. How familiar are these statements?
 We have too many assessments.
 We are giving assessments and interrupting our instruction all year
long.
 We have too much data and too little time to make sense of it.
 We haven’t prioritized what data we are supposed to use.
 We have too many different opinions about which assessments are
most important.
 We are using assessment data but don’t seem to be seeing
improvement in our results.
 We’re frustrated that teachers don’t seem to understand their
assessments.
 We’re frustrated our district doesn’t provide teachers with enough
guidance in using assessments.
 With so many assessments, just analyzing the data takes all of our
focus.
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4. Choose a question that you connect with…
 How can a common understanding of assessment
vocabulary support a commitment to improved student
outcomes?
 What is the purpose of our assessments? What kind of
data do our assessments generate?
 What do our assessments reveal about student
learning? How do they support our instructional
choices?
 What constitutes an ideal assessment program? What
does it look like and sound like? What are the
strengths and areas that need improved in our current
system?
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5. Connecting Assessments and Student Learning
Consider these steps:
1. Create a shared knowledge of
assessment literacy
2. Examine your assessment program for
purpose, utilization, alignment and
accountability
3. Examine your actions to ensure they
reflect a shared vision
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6. Assessment Literacy
1. Create an activity to build a common
understanding of assessment vocabulary
2. Establish norms to ensure it is safe to say:
a.Don’t know
b.Think I should know, but I don’t
c.Think I know but want to check it out
d.No comment
e.Think I have it
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7. Assessment Literacy Activity
3. Given periodically to establish baseline assessment which give
1. A culminating data
A. Benchmark and measure progress toward a standard.
information on students’ mastery of
Assessment Provide data about standards that have been
content, knowledge or skills.
mastered and which need additional instruction.
5. Assessments where individual’s performance
B. Criterion- 2. Used in NRT to indicate a score below
is compared to specific learning objective or
Referenced performance standard and not a certain percentage falls. [Used
which to performance
Do we agree
of other students. [student-to-standard data] to other students]
to compare students
Tests
on the
4. Tool that assesses Given periodically to establishdefinitions?
3. student strengths baseline data
C. Diagnostic and weaknesses to inform instructional toward a standard.
and measure progress
Assessment decisions. Usually administered instandards that have been
Provide data about
mastered and which need additional instruction.
advance of instruction.
What do I
2. Used in NRT to indicate a that assesses student strengths
4. Tool score below
D. Percentile and weaknesses to inform need to know
which a certain percentage falls. [Used instructional
or to learn?
to compare students to other students] administered in
decisions. Usually
advance of instruction.
5. Assessments where individual’s performance
1. A culminating assessment which give
E. Summative information on students’ mastery of learning objective or
is compared to specific
Assessment performance standard and not to performance
content, knowledge orstudents. [student-to-standard data]
of other skills.
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8. Examine your Assessment Program
To examine your program for purpose,
utilization, alignment and accountability, begin
with the question:
What do we believe is important about
assessing for learning?
1. Self reflect
2. Examine your beliefs
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9. Self Reflection
1. What is my goal in terms of understanding
our assessment program?
2. What is my current reality?
3. What do I need to do to address the gap?
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10. Activities to Examine Your Beliefs
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11. Considering Purpose - Dig Deeper
• Complete a district assessment review
• Conduct a data inventory
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12. Examine Your Actions
• Improvement plans contain areas of focus, actions
and timelines reflecting the hard work of educators.
• Revisit your plans through the lens of having a
shared assessment vision and prioritize actions
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13. Addressing the Gaps
• What competencies do we need to learn that will
address gaps in reaching our assessment goals?
• When we build these competencies, what practices
will we see on a regular basis throughout the school?
• As our practices change, what student outcomes will
help us measure the affects of these changes?
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14. Aligning Plans with Vision
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15. Sustaining Capacity
 You have created a common assessment
literacy
 You have examined your assessment
program
 You examined your improvement plan to
align actions and address gaps
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16. Questions for Ongoing Dialogue
 Are we painting pictures of our students
using multiple points of data?
 With what with know about assessment
purpose now, how do we “weight” the
information?
 How are we using assessment data to
design specific actions we need to take?
 How are we supporting student growth with
the data?
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17. Thank you for your
attention!
BIE Schools:
katie.redden @nwea.org
AZ Schools:
tracy.jones@nwea.org